Sons of the Sage: Of Gods and Demons
by DescendingDarkness
Summary: Fuinjutsu: The art of sealing. Senjutsu: the ability to harness the worlds power. Experimenting with the both of them simultaneously is foolish beyond comprehension, as Hashirama and Madara learn. The hard way. Their grievous mistake throws them into a world of Angels, Gods and Demons; which they are pulled into in their attempts to get home.
1. Chapter 1: Of Seals and Senjutsu

The Elemental Nations: cursed to be forever stained with the blood of those who lived upon it. For thousands of years mankind has waged war upon each other over the most trivial of reasons on this land. The conflict only grew worse when Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki introduced the concept of chakra. There was a brief interval of peace, but greed reared its putrid head and Ninshu became Ninjutsu, the Art of Peace became the Art of War.

For hundreds of more years, wars were waged. The scale of destruction only grew as humanity became more and more proficient in harnessing their chakra. It appeared as if peace was an unattainable ideal, until _they _came...

Hashirama Senju, reincarnation of Ashura Ōtsutsuki and...

Madara Uchiha, reincarnation of Indra Ōtsutsuki.

Two children from clans that hated each other more than anything else that existed in the world, yet they still managed to form a bond, a friendship; and with it came a dream.

To build a safe haven away from all the death and suffering.

It took two decades for them to stop fighting and come to an agreement, but they still managed to accomplish their dream. Konohagakure no Sato: the safest place on the planet, guarded by the two strongest shinobi alive. It's leader was none other than Hashirama himself, the Shodaime Hokage. In another world, Madara and Hashirama's friendship fell apart when Madara overheard Tobirama Senju talking of how to weaken the Uchiha's influence over the Village. That was not the case in this timeline...

* * *

Hashirama Senju sighed in exasperation as he saw the thinly veiled antagonism between his brother and his best friend, both subtly glaring at each other without trying to be too obvious. They were clearly forgetting he was a shinobi as well. Breaking the tension, Hashirama cleared his throat loudly.

"You asked for a meeting Tobirama, and you wanted Madara here as well?" Hashirama questioned curiously. It was no secret his younger brother despised Madara for reasons beyond his understanding, so for him to be here spoke volumes of its seriousness.

"Scouts from our clan have located a seal of unknown origin 10km west of Konoha, Hokage-sama. It is... unbelievably advanced." Tobirama admitted. Madara raised an eyebrow in surprise. Coming from the man who invented a Jutsu that could manipulate space-time with Fuinjutsu must mean this seal was indeed impressive.

"So why am I here?" Madara inquired as he looked between the Senju brothers.

"Hokage-sama, I request Madara Uchiha be sent on a mission to retrieve this seal. It could be extremely dangerous in enemy hands." Tobirama stated. Madara showed no visible reaction, but the Hokage could see anticipation gleaming in his eyes. He turned to Hashirama, looking at him expectedly.

Hashirama turned his gaze back to his brother. "Agreed. However, I am going as well!" Hashirama declared. Madara smirked at him knowingly while the younger Senju growled in frustration.

"You cannot do that, elder brother. As Hokage, you have responsibilities-" Tobirama began heatedly.

"I can and I will." Hashirama interrupted stubbornly. Both brothers stared at each other in a contest of wills, before Tobirama sighed in exasperation.

"Do as you please, elder brother." Tobirama muttered as he flashed out of the room with his Hiraishin.

"I was wondering when you would find an excuse to get out of the Village, Hashirama. It looked like that paperwork was slowly killing you. Only a death by my hand is fitting for a man such as yourself." Madara said smirking at his rival, who suddenly paled at the mention of the bane of his existence.

Hashirama began shivering in fear as his eyes glazed over, "I swear that that paperwork _multiplies_! It isn't natural!" He stopped, glancing at the suspiciously smug Madara with narrowed eyes, "You didn't want the job because you _knew _about the paperwork, didn't you?" Hashirama demanded, as he looked at his rival in betrayal.

"Hn." Madara responded, his arrogant smirk growing even larger.

"I _hate _you."

* * *

_Location: 10km west of Konoha..._

* * *

Both men emerged from the foliage, nothing more than a blur to the naked eye. They both glanced around, unable to locate the seal. Madara narrowed his eyes in anger.

"I bet that brat brother of yours made this whole thing up, Hashirama. It explains why he wanted me to go on the mission and not you." Madara muttered as he walked around the clearing, half expecting a trap. Hashirama shook his head ruefully.

"Tobi wouldn't do that, Madara." Hashirama replied, doubting his own words. He was well aware of the tension between the two, but would his brother really go so far? He hoped not.

"Whatever. If this things here, I'll find it." Madara said as his Sharingan flared to life. Immediately, Madara averted his eyes from Hashirama, so as not to see his rivals chakra. The man had more chakra than the Kyuubi and it was far more concentrated, when compared to the Kyuubi's, which was spread out over its massive body. In other words, it was like staring directly at the sun! _'Damn you and you're godly reserves, Hashirama...' _He looked around the clearing carefully, unable to see a single chakra signature other than his own and his rivals. Madara growled in agitation. _'Well played Tobirama, well played. But I will get back at you, you son of a-'_

"I bet I can find it!" Hashirama declared as he grinned at the Uchiha.

"I don't think you understand, so I'll say it slowly..." Madara replied as if speaking to a child, "All seals use chakra, and I can't find a signature. That means-"

"Found it!" Hashirama's voice sounded from the other side of the clearing. Madara fought to keep his temper in check and not flay his Hokage alive. In a burst of speed, he reappeared by his rivals side and saw the seal, but could _still _notsee any chakra.

"This thing is using natural energy to power itself, that's why you couldn't identify it. It blended right into the surroundings." Madara nodded in understanding, his pride soaring back up to typical Uchiha levels. The only reason the Hokage found it was because he was a Sage. Hashirama slowly traced the seal with his finger.

"This thing is _ancient._" He whispered in awe. Madara looked at it, his expression conveying his boredom.

"I don't understand what the big deal is. It's just ink." He said as he channelled chakra into it, curious as to what it did. Hashirama's eyes widened in horror as he tried to stop him, but he was too late. The seal array lit up, and began to release massive amounts of natural energy.

"Whoops." Madara said sheepishly as Hashirama deadpanned at him.

"Let's just get out of here, this thing could be dangerous." The Shodaime Hokage firmly stated. The both dashed in the direction they arrived from, only for a massive wall of chakra to erupt in front of them.

"Kekkai..." Madara muttered, as he looked around them to see the barrier enclose around them, trapping them within the clearing. He glanced at his rival who seemed slightly worried, then turned back to the seal which was obviously doing... _something._

"Hashirama, we need to set up a defence." Madara yelled over the howling winds that suddenly appeared due to the overwhelming amount of concentrated natural energy. He saw the man nod in agreement and begin to blur through hand seals.

"_Mokuton: Hōbi no Jutsu_**!**" A massive dragon faced wooden construct emerged around them. Madara's eyes snapped open, revealing his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

"_Susano'o_**!**" Madara responded in turn, noting the Hokage chose to use a high level technique. The titanic ethereal warrior materialised, as Madara silently commanded it to wrap around Hashirama's technique, reinforcing it. They both stood there in silent anticipation.

"It's done pumping out natural energy." Hashirama stated, letting out a sigh of relief, "If it had been programmed to explode, it would have made the Bijuudama seem like a C-rank Jutsu. It must have been gathering natural energy for a _very long _time. I guess the Uzumaki didn't make this..." Madara's eyes widened in horror for a moment before they returned to their stoic nature. He was silently glad that it had not been programmed to explode. _That _would have been a disaster. Hashirama mentally commanded his wooden construct to open and began to walk out only to freeze at the sight before him.

"Madara, tell me I'm not the only one seeing this...?" The Hokage murmured in horror.

"You're not the only one..." Madara replied, his voice trailing off as he openly gaped at the sight before them. Space before them was incredibly distorted. Their horror grew when space _tore _itself open and started to pull everything around it inside, slowly growing larger.

"Madara, we need to escape!" Hashirama said frantically as he looked at the barrier surrounding them both in frustration. He blurred through hand seals.

"_Mokuton: Mokujin no Jutsu_**.**" A humanoid creature with a full body, and an oni-like face appeared, with a wooden dragon wrapped around it. It reared back its arm and launched a powerful punch at the barrier, resulting in a powerful shockwave supplementing the already strong winds, nearly sending Madara flying off his feet. The Uchiha grit his teeth when he noticed the barrier didn't even have tiny cracks in it. Hashirama roared in frustration and continued to pound away at the barrier to no effect.

"This things powered by Senjutsu! I need to enter Sennin Mode!" The Shodaime Hokage yelled as he clasped his hands together and started to gather natural energy.

"Hashirama, all you would be doing is punching at it harder, and you couldn't even crack it just now! At least face your death with some dignity!" Madara bellowed over the harsh winds, raising his arm before his face to avoid debris getting into his eyes. He looked to see the resignation spread over his rivals face as he jumped off of his battle avatar, landing next to him. The pull grew stronger and stronger, and eventually not even they could withstand it. Both Hashirama and Madara were pulled through the tear in space, and vanished.

* * *

Hashirama groggily awoke, his vision blurred as he attempted to survey his surroundings. He heard a groan beside him, and saw Madara slowly awaken as well. He glanced at the sky, noticing it was night time. That wasn't a good sign. When they had arrived at the seal, it was a little past midday. He should have gotten back up quickly with his healing factor. Then he noticed something else. They were on a hill of sorts when they were on level ground before. Hashirama walked towards the edge of the clearing wearily and gasped.

"What is it, Hashirama?" Madara inquired as he stood up and walked towards his rival. Hashirama shakily pointed to what was down below. Madara had to refrain from gawking like a fool when he saw what the Hokage was pointing at. Below them was a city that put the central hub of Hi no Kuni to shame. The floor was layered with concrete, the buildings were far better than the ones they were accustomed to, and there seemed to be metal chariots moving without anything pulling them, or any chakra to move it.

"What in the world...?" Madara muttered as he gazed at the city beneath him. Hashirama took a deep breath and sat on the ground. Although he appeared to be calm, inwardly his emotions were in turmoil. He had been around the entiretyof the Elemental Nations and never seen _anything _like this. Being a Sage came in handy right now, with the ability to let your emotions go into nature. However, the moment he interacted with the natural energy, his sense of horror only deepened.

"Something's wrong with the natural energy..." Hashirama murmured in desperation.

"What do you mean?" Madara asked, looking at him strangely.

"Natural energy _cannot _be used up, that is a fact. It can be generated-_is generated-_by all plants and vegetation, but it cannot be lost. Even when Sages use it, the energy they use dissipates back into nature. Natural energy can even be used to accurately date how long our world existed." Hashirama stated as he stood back up and gazed at the city below them.

"What's your point?" Madara questioned wearily.

"There is _far more _natural energy here." Hashirama said with a blank expression. Madara stood still as he processed this information, before openly gawking at his rival.

"Are you saying we're in the future?" Madara demanded as he looked at the city below them. He couldn't see a single ounce of chakra, and that was something that bothered him. Perhaps Hashirama's idea had merit, this city was far more advanced than anything he had ever seen in his life, and he had seen a lot. He looked back at his Hokage and saw he was staring at the sky, his blank expression still firmly in place.

"You know, when I was a kid, I used to always look at the stars. They made me realise just how small my existence was in the grand scheme of things. I used to watch them every night. I even remembered all of the constellations." Hashirama said wistfully, his eyes never leaving the sky.

"Are you okay, Hashirama?" Madara questioned. The Hokage smiled grimly.

"None of these constellations match the ones I memorised, Madara." They both sat in silence as the reality of their situation struck them. Hashirama sighed in exasperation.

"You just _had _to activate the seal, didn't you ?" He asked sarcastically.

"Shut up." Madara retorted halfheartedly as he glanced at his rival. His eyes widened in shock.

"Hashirama, why do you look so much younger?" He hissed frantically. How had he not noticed this before? Did the idiot have a Henge up? But what would be the point of that? Unless... no, the alternative was too outlandish to consider. Hashirama wearily turned back to Madara and noticed he too looked a lot younger.

"It's just one problem after another, isn't it?" Hashirama tiredly asked. He was far too mentally exhausted to panic. He looked back at Madara again, noting he looked to be in his mid to late teens. _'About 17 then.' _He mused. They both sat there for hours, still in disbelief over the fact that their lives had been irrevocably changed within the span of a day. Abruptly, the Hokage frowned. _'This is no time to sulk around.' _Hashirama's eyes hardened in determination.

"Alright, neither of us can use Jikukan Ninjustu, so finding a way back home is impossible right now. We need to slip into this new world for now. _Unnoticed._" Hashirama stated, emphasising the last word. Madara nodded in agreement. Moments later, they both shot forward from the hill, landing on a rooftop in the city with a single leap. They both quickly analysed the type clothing the people here wore, turned to each other and subtly nodded. In a small plume of smoke, both of their appearances changed. Hashirama wore a plain white shirt and jeans, his hair now short and spiked. Madara wore a black jacket over a sleeveless red t-shirt and jeans and his hair was lot shorter. Discreetly, they silently dropped to the ground and walked onto the street.

"We need to find civilian clothes, Hashirama." Madara murmured as they walked along the paved concrete sidewalk. Hashirama nodded as they looked around noting the shops around them, but they all seemed to be closed. He stopped, glancing at a shop at the edge of his peripheral vision. _'That looks like a clothing store.' _He thought. He nudged Madara and inclined his head towards the store, and saw him nod back at him.

Breaking into the store was easy for two top-tier shinobi, who now stood at the centre of the darkened room.

"I don't like this Madara." Hashirama muttered as he picked up some clothes.

"That's too bad, Hashirama. We can't leave money for them _because we have none._" Madara retorted hotly. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his rival's foolishness right now. They both quickly changed into a pair of clothes they 'borrowed'.

"Alright. Let's seal away our armour now." Hashirama muttered as he pulled out a small scroll and placed his and Madara's armour on it. In small puff of smoke, the objects disappeared. Satisfied, Hashirama rolled the scroll back up and placed it into his pocket. They both disappeared with a burst of _Shunshin_, blurring back in the direction they came from, reappearing on the grassy hill they materialised on.

"Stand back Madara." Hashirama said as he clasped his hands together. Madara folded his arms and looked on with a bored expression.

"_Mokuton: Shichūka no Jutsu." _Hashirama slammed his hands onto the ground. Moments later, a large two story house erupted from the ground. A small smile came onto Hashirama's face. The _Shichūka no Jutsu _was largely based on memories. The house he created was a replica of his back in Konoha. Undoing their _Henge's, _the two walked into the house, intending on getting a well deserved sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Kuoh Academy

**It really makes me happy that the first chapter was so well received. Thank you all. It makes me glad that I spent the time to write. I really should knuckle down and write as much as I can while I still have plenty if ideas for this story. As for the reviews...**

**RikudoNaruto1- I used Hashirama and Madara as the main characters because every other story in this section has Naruto and occasionally Sasuke as the main character(s). Using these two makes my story unique.**

**Kinunatz- I'm in the same boat as you on that one. I dislike as well when characters are de-powered. I'm not certain that the top-ten are **_**that **_**weak physically however, seeing as all facets of "power" seem to increase as you move up tiers of strength in DxD. Gonna have to disagree with Naruto-verse not having good DC (destructive capacity). Top tiers and god tiers have exhibited Island to Country level DC in both potency and AoE. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!**

**On with the chapter!**

* * *

One week had passed since they had appeared in this new world, and Madara was already sick of it. He was bored to death, since there was _nothing _to do. No one could dance, aside from Hashirama, and if they fought things would escalate quickly and they would attract too much attention. The second thing that bothered him was having to always hide behind a _Henge_ when he walked into the city. Although it was one of the key facets of being a shinobi, pretending to be someone he was not was something that did not sit well with Madara. Even attempting to return back to their world was impossible seeing as neither of them knew a Jikukan Ninjutsu, aside from the _Kuchiyose no Jutsu _which was useless in this situation.

If he had to live in this world for now, he would make it more bearable. Starting with not having to pretend to be someone he was not.

"Hashirama, we're getting haircuts." Madara stated bluntly as he dragged the stunned Hokage out of the house. Seeing as they both had 'normal' clothes, the only thing about them right now that was irregular was their hair, specifically it's length. Although Madara was not fond of cutting his glorious hair, he was even less fond of pretending to be someone he was not.

The Uchiha ignored the Hokage's protests as he dragged him through the streets. People began to point and whisper at them, but he ignored the fools as he looked for the place he remembered being called a 'barbers' or something to that effect.

"There it is." Madara muttered as he walked into the barbers, Hashirama following closely behind. The man inside gawked at them for a moment, before quickly regaining his composure and smiled hesitantly at them, silently terrified by the scowl on Madara's face.

"We want haircuts." Madara demanded, causing the man to nod quickly and gestured for Madara to sit down. In the end, Madara's hair looked similar to when he was a kid. Nodding with a satisfied expression, he payed the man with some money that he stole and walked out of the shop, waiting for Hashirama. As he stood there, he noticed some women stealing glances at him and blushing. His brow furrowed in confusion. _'What are they blushing at?' _

Madara was pulled from his musing when he heard the barbers door chime and looked on amusedly as Hashirama walked out with a mildly horrified expression.

"My hair is so short..." Madara heard him whisper in despair, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes Hashirama could be so dramatic.

"Let's go." Hashirama said, wanting to be as far away from the barber as he could be. The man was adamant about his haircut and made it look like _Tobirama's _of all people! Before they could get far however, they were approached by a strange man in a uniform who looked at them sternly.

"What are you two boys doing out of school?" The man demanded, as he looked between them both. Madara's perpetual scowl deepened when he was called a boy. Hashirama merely looked at the man with a confused expression.

"School?" As far as he knew, that term did not exist in his world. Perhaps civilians knew of it, but shinobi tended to ignore everything to do with civilians unless it involved money. He planned to bridge the gap between shinobi and civilian, but he was sent here before he could just a week after Konoha was formed.

"Don't play dumb with me, young man." The man said as he took a slight step closer, attempting to be intimidating. Hashirama tensed, and fought his instinctive reaction to snap the man's arm. Madara let out an inaudible sigh and decided to intervene.

"We only moved to this city yesterday, and haven't had the time to enrol in school." Madara said cooly as he met the uniformed man's stern gaze. He assumed this man was part of a force to ensure everyone followed established rules based on his uniform and the way he acted.

"Shouldn't your parents have enrolled you into school?" The man retorted as he folded his arms and narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Madara.

"Our parents are dead." Madara responded flatly, resisting the urge to throttle the man in front of him. He brought up unpleasant memories. The man's gaze seemed to soften and his aggressive demeanour evaporated.

"My apologies. It that case, I can help you get enrolled at a school. I'm friends with the Headmistress." The man said, a friendly smile coming onto his face. His initial suspicion of them being delinquents appeared to be wrong. The least he could do was help them after being so rude to them, he decided.

"What is the name of this school?" Hashirama inquired curiously. The man smiled at him.

"Kuoh Academy."

* * *

"Class, we will be having two new students joining our class today." Ms Suzuki stated as both Hashirama and Madara walked in. The girls let out fan girlish screams while the boys all glared at them, until they met Madara's smouldering gaze and froze in terror. Hashirama sweatdropped. _'Mixed reception much?' _

"My name is Hashirama Senju. Please take care of me." Hashirama stated while smiling warmly, before bowing slightly, recalling how the Headmaster instructed them to introduce themselves. All the girls in the class swooned he noted, all but two. The class fell silent and looked expectantly at Madara who remained silent, gazing out of the window, a bored expression etched on his face. Hashirama elbowed him in his stomach, causing Madara to glare at him slightly. He turned back to the class.

"...Madara Uchiha." The Shodaime Hokage rolled his eyes at Madara's lackluster introduction, having anticipated him to do something like that. Once again the girls started blushing and whispering to one another, except the same two girls. _'The only normal ones it seems.' _Hashirama mused, not knowing how completely and utterly wrong he was.

"Hashirama-san, take the seat next to Rias Gremory..." The teacher began, gesturing to the redhead, who waved at him slightly, "...and Madara-san sit next to Akeno Himejima." She pointed to towards the raven haired girl to smiled at the Uchiha pleasantly.

Hashirama walked towards his seat smiling at the girl, Rias. He had to admit, she was beautiful, unbelievably so. Madara walked towards his seat, and took it without a word.

"Nice to meet you, Madara-san." Akeno said pleasantly. Madara turned towards her, raising an eyebrow, before scoffing and turning back to the front of the class. Akeno's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That was rude." Rias muttered as she looked at Madara with a frown.

"Madara is a closed off person. He's had a... harsh past to say the least." Hashirama admitted reluctantly, as he glared at Madara lightly. Unbeknownst to him, the fangirl beside him overheard. Rias nodded in understanding, silently surprised Hashirama wasn't gawking over her body. _'There is a first time for everything, I suppose.' _She mused as she glanced at the boy beside her.

The bell rang an hour later, and Hashirama couldn't be happier when he learnt it was time for lunch. He was _starving. _Walking towards the classroom door with Madara, he raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw who was standing there.

"Rias-san?" Hashirama questioned, causing to girl to smile at him. Hashirama didn't know why, but his heart started to beat quickly when he saw her smile.

"We're here to show you around the school." She replied as she glanced at Akeno, who seemed to be staring at Madara who was once again ignoring her. Hashirama repressed a sigh and gestured for her to lead the way. Whispers broke out when the students saw the new guys with the "Two Great Ladies". Hashirama could pick out bits and pieces of the conversations, most were about their looks from the girls, and ways in which they could dismember him and Madara from the boys.

"...yeah, Madara-san had a really tragic past." Madara's head snapped up at that as he looked around trying to find out who spoke. He discreetly turned to his rival.

"Hashirama, this "school" has a top-tier information network. How the hell do they know that?" Madara whispered, as he glared harshly at the boys who stared at them in jealousy.

"Maybe they put two and two together from how you acted." Hashirama offered weakly, already knowing it was his fault. Someone must have overheard him talking to Rias. But how the hell did the information spread so quickly? Luckily for Hashirama, Madara wasn't really paying attention to him and didn't pick up on his lie. Let it be known Hashirama was a terrible liar.

They all got there lunches and sat down at a table. Hashirama shifted uncomfortably when he noticed _everyone_ in the lunch hall gawking at them.

"I and Akeno don't usually eat in the lunch hall." Rias answered his unspoken question.

"But even so, why do they care?" Hashirama retorted, bewildered.

"Because we're the "Two Great Ladies"." She replied as she started to eat her lunch. Hashirama quirked an eyebrow at her response, before shrugging and began to eat as well.

The rest of the day was uneventful, to Madara's ire. He claimed that at least "those women" offered some form of entertainment; at the end of the school day, they both made their way home.

"...Never again." Madara abruptly said.

"What?" Hashirama inquired curiously.

"I'm never going to that boring hell hole again." Hashirama just laughed.

* * *

Within the abandoned school building, the Occult Research Club convened for a meeting. Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Koneko Toujou and Kiba Yuuto all sat down on the couches.

"We're here to talk about two possible recruits." Rias said as she took a sip from her tea.

"Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha." Kiba said, smirking when Akeno's eye twitched. It was rare for someone to get on Akeno's nerves to such an extent, and Madara had done so without even trying. _'Maybe that's why he's so good at it.' _Kiba thought amusedly.

"...Senjutsu." Koneko muttered abruptly, but everyone else heard anyway and quickly turned their attention towards her. Senjutsu had become taboo ever since Kuroka had gone insane from over utilising it and killed her master.

"What about Senjutsu, Koneko?" Rias questioned with furrowed brows. Anything related to Senjutsu was serious business.

"...Hashirama-san, he uses Senjutsu. At an even higher level than _her._" Koneko said, causing the room to fall silent. No one said a word as they looked at each other in shock. All aside from Koneko who seemed to be in a daze, ignoring everything around her. Koneko, being a Nekoshou, was extremely sensitive to natural energy. Therefore, when she first laid eyes on Hashirama Senju, she immediately knew he used Senjutsu. At first, she was incredibly weary of him, and for good reason. Yet she was quick to realise he was obviously _not _insane. That made her curious about him. How could he utilise Senjutsu on such a level, yet not suffer any repercussions?

"Ara ara, this is interesting." Akeno commented as a smile grew on her face and looked at her King. Rias looked slightly troubled, but at the same time, excited at the prospect of having someone of such skill in her peerage.

"What about Madara-san, Koneko?" Rias inquired in anticipation. If he was even remotely as strong as Hashirama was, her chances of defeating Riser would skyrocket.

"...he doesn't use Senjutsu and his chakra isn't as potent as Hashirama-san's..." Rias felt a small amount of disappointment, "...but it is still more potent than yours, Buchou. I can't tell how _much _they have because they're suppressing it." Koneko finished.

Rias felt hop blossom in her when Koneko finished speaking. When was the last time she had felt like this, she wondered.

"Ara ara, if they're this strong as humans, imagine how strong they would be as devils." Akeno stated as everyone looked at Koneko in surprise. She sincerely hoped they joined the peerage, for Rias' sake.

"I would have thought you wouldn't have wanted Madara-san to join, Akeno." Kiba commented, pulling Rias out of her musing as she too looked at her Queen in surprise.

"On the contrary, Kiba-kun, I _want _him to join. That way I can _discipline _him." Akeno said as a sadistic smile crossed her lips and a cruel glint flashed across her eyes. She blushed and her breathing rate quickened as she imagined all the things she could do to teach him manners, all of them involving whips and chains. Every other member of the Occult Research Club shivered and silently wished Madara the best of the luck.

"How do we go about convincing them though?" Kiba inquired.

"I'll try become friends with Hashirama first, seeing as he's the more open and friendly of the two." Rias decided, "Maybe he'll even convince Madara-san to join."

* * *

_One Week later..._

* * *

Hashirama sat underneath a tree in the school grounds, silently taking in natural energy. But something about the energy seemed off with it, but he couldn't distinguish what it was exactly. Perhaps it was simply how old the natural energy was that was making it feel off? _'Whatever. It's not as if it's bothering me.' _

"Do you mind if I join you, Hashirama-kun?" The Shodaime Hokage looked up to see Rias Gremory standing there in all her glory. He couldn't help but admire her beauty. Her long, crimson hair, her bluish-green eyes that practically sparkled in the sunlight, not to mention her massive-

_'What the hell am I thinking?!' _Hashirama inwardly screamed. It was the hormones that came from being a teenager again, he decided, definitely the hormones.

"Hashirama-kun?" The Hokage blushed when he noticed how close she was, so close their noses were almost touching. She stared into his eyes, "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I just spaced out for a moment. Sure, you can join me." Hashirama replied sheepishly, grinning slightly. Rias blushed slightly when she saw his grin and felt her heart rate quicken. _'What is this?' _She thought. She took her seat beside him, sitting as close as she could without invading his personal space.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Rias-chan?" Hashirama asked casually as he laid down, placing his hands behind his head. He decided to address her so familiarly seeing as she deemed them close enough to address him with "-kun". Which was weird, since they hadn't known each other long.

"Mou, why do you make it seem like I have a hidden motive or something?" Rias pouted at him, prompting him to deadpan at her. She was of course trying to get him to join her peerage before Sona could take him, but she needed to befriend him for that to work.

"Are you telling me you approached me for no reason other than to talk about trivial things?" Hashirama deadpanned at her, looking at her as if she were an idiot. Hashirama, while occasionally naïve, was still a shinobi at heart. She was hiding it well, but he could read from her posture that she wanted something from him. The only reason he was humouring her was because he sensed no ill intent from her, but he still held his guard up.

A loud, shrill cry brought Hashirama from his musing as he looked to see three boys running from a horde of angry women.

"What was...?" Hashirama trailed off, completely baffled by what he saw.

"Ah, that would be the Perverted Trio. Issei Hyoudou, Matsuda and Motohama. They are rather infamous among the female students." Rias commented as she watched the females catch up to the perverts and proceed to beat them up. Hashirama watched with wide eyes and winced in sympathy when the girls began to stomp on their crotches after the one wearing the glasses said something. As far from flattering as could be no doubt, based on the perverted grin on his face when he spoke.

"What's with all the weird titles this school gives people? At least I don't have one." Hashirama muttered to himself, but Rias heard anyway and her smile widened.

"Oh, don't you know? You and Madara-san are already being called "Princes of Kuoh Academy" along with Kiba Yuuto." Rias said, silently enjoying Hashirama's bewildered expression. It was difficult to believe he was a practitioner of Senjutsu, especially since he used it at a higher level than the "Black Cat" Kuroka. Considering how much hatred he must have to deal with, it was nothing short of miraculous that he was such a calm and collected person in her opinion and spoke volumes of his willpower. Maybe he could even teach Koneko how to use Senjutsu once she got over her fear of it.

Well, her plan was working at the very least. If she succeeded, she would have two powerful peerage members, perhaps even at the level of a ultimate-class devil. Then there was Issei who seemed to have a strong Sacred Gear. If she could get all three of them into her peerage, there was a very good chance of her defeating Riser in a Rating Game. Yet she couldn't help but worry. There were so many things that could go wrong. What if she couldn't get them to join her peerage? What if Issei's Sacred Gear was weak? What if, despite all there strength, they couldn't defeat Riser because of his immortality?

"There's something troubling you, isn't there?" Hashirama murmured, pulling Rias out of her thoughts. He was very good at reading people, just as any good shinobi was really, and it was obvious to him that something was really bothering her. It helped that he could sense emotions.

"What makes you say that?" Rias inquired as she plastered a smile on her face, pushing all thoughts related to her engagement from her mind.

"I can just tell." Hashirama replied with a cryptic smile before his face turned serious, "If there's anyway I could help, I'd be happy to." He said as he met her eyes. She had been nothing but helpful since he had met her, and for that, Hashirama was grateful. If there was any way he could repay her, he would do so. Rias felt her face heat up as a genuine smile appeared graced her lips.

"I'll keep that in mind. Arigato, Hashirama-kun."

"A-Ano, are you I-Issei Hyoudou-kun?" A shy voice called out. Hyoudou Issei turned around to see a beautiful girl with soft, violet eyes and raven hair.

"Um, yeah." For all his bravado about the fairer sex, Issei didn't know how to react when a girl approached _him. _It was surreal.

* * *

"My name is Yuuma Amano. I-I've always admired you, so... w-will you g-go out w-with me?" She asked blushing. Issei would have gaped would it not have made him look like a fool. Just earlier today, he had been moaning about not having a girlfriend, and yet here Yuuma-san was asking him out! _'This must be God's will!' _Issei thought as a broad grin came onto his face.

"Yes!"

Little did he know, his life would be irrevocably changed from that one, little word.


End file.
